Jo and the Boy review roundup: Watch Manju Warrier-Master Sanoop starrer with family

Malayalam actress Manju Warrier's fourth outing "Jo and the Boy", after her comeback movie "How Old Are You", has been receiving positive responses from critics. The film was released on 24 December locking horns with Dulquer Salmaan-Parvathy's "Charlie".

Compared to her comeback film, Manju is not seen as a typical housewife in "Jo and the Boy", which makes it a special movie for the actress. "Philips and the Monkey Pen"-fame Rojin Thomas's latest directorial venture has been tagged as an entertaining flick with well-crafted visuals by Neil D' Cunha. Critics recommended that the film is fit to be watched with kids and family.

Plot

"Jo and the Boy" portrays the emotional bond of two unusual friends, played by Manju and Master Sanoop Santhosh. While Manju is seen as animator and photographer Joan Mary John, who is in her thirtees, Sanoop plays the role of 10-year-old Criz. How she helps the boy with his dreams forms the crux of the film.

Pearly Maaney, Kiran, Lalu Alex, Kalaranjini, Rekha Menon, Sunil Sukhada and Sudheer Karamana have also played their part well in the family entertainer "Jo and the Boy". The movie is produced under the banner of Goodwill Entertainments by Alice George.

The first half of the film runs breezy; the father in Lalu Alex is as always, amicable. Kalaranjini aims for a few good comic shots and gets her audience too. Manju Warrier seems to have finally emerged from a spate of woman-in-woe characterizations, and is quite spunky here, dusting back to being, a reflection of her effervescent self from older movies. She proves an able choice to be carrying the movie on her shoulders. Sanoop plays up the 'cool boy' image to good effect.

Rojin Thomas pushed himself further as the director from his debut movie Philips and the Monkey Pen. His frames and treatment is stable and matured enough to deliver a mass entertainer. The way he handles Sanoop is commendable and their bond is clearly evident in the young actor's performance. The director gets an enormous amount of support from cinematographer Neil D'Cunha, Editor Rahman Muhammed Ali and composer Rahul Subramanian. Like their previous venture, Jo and the Boy is a well-made movie comes out of dedicated team work and capable of making you feel good in this festive season.

The crispy, touching dialogues deserve a special mention. The only minus is the half-baked comical situations, which looks artificial at certain points. The songs and background score are composed by Rahul Subramaniam, who is also the creative director of the movie. Both the songs and background score perfectly blends with the mood of the movie. "Jo and the Boy" is a complete entertainer for the season, to be watched with kids and family.